Can This Laser-Like Drill Unlock Earth’s Infinite Power?

Quaise Energy uses millimetre waves to vaporise rock, aiming to scale geothermal power globally

28 Jul 2025

Quaise Energy, a Massachusetts-based startup, has drilled 100 metres into hard rock using millimetre-wave beams, marking a potential shift in how geothermal energy is accessed. The trial, completed in July in Central Texas, employed contactless electromagnetic radiation to vaporise rock, a method adapted from nuclear fusion research at MIT.

Unlike conventional drilling, which relies on rotating bits and drilling mud, Quaise’s system cuts through subsurface layers without direct contact. This enables access to deeper and hotter rock formations previously out of reach. The company aims to tap these superheated zones to produce geothermal energy that operates continuously, regardless of weather or season.

“Our goal is to make geothermal scalable everywhere,” said Carlos Araque, chief executive of Quaise. He added that the technology could allow the repurposing of retired fossil fuel infrastructure into baseload clean energy sites suitable for residential power, industry, and data centres.

Geothermal energy, while offering constant supply, has been limited by cost, drilling difficulty, and geographical constraints. Quaise’s technique could reduce those barriers and allow geothermal to compete with intermittent sources such as solar and wind.

The approach has drawn attention from private investors and the US Department of Energy, which is expanding support for advanced geothermal systems. However, questions remain over whether the beam drilling system can maintain efficiency at greater depths and higher temperatures, and whether project economics will scale competitively.

Quaise plans to extend its drilling to depths of several kilometres in future tests, where temperatures exceed 400°C. This is a threshold required for superhot rock geothermal systems that promise greater energy output per well.

The company is targeting commercial demonstration by 2026. If proven viable, the technology could support climate goals by providing round-the-clock clean power from a wider range of locations than traditional geothermal fields.